PITTSBURGH—Penguins coach Dan Bylsma didn't waste much time on Wednesday afternoon. The first thing he did after he sat at the podium was announce that Tomas Vokoun is in—and Marc-Andre Fleury is out—for Thursday's Game 5 against the New York Islanders.

Vokoun, meanwhile, was signed for this specific purpose; when Fleury melted down last season against the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh didn't have a viable alternative. Now they do; Vokoun, in many ways, was better during the regular season than Fleury—take his .940 even-strength save percentage to Fleury's .927.

"We brought Tomas Vokoun in to pay big games for us, to be a goaltender we can count on," Bylsma said. "He's done that this year for us."

Bylsma also noted Vokoun's success against the Islanders this season, which isn't insignificant; in four appearances and three starts, the 36-year-old is 3-0 with an 0.90 GAA and .970 save percentage. He stopped 98 of the 101 shots he faced and shut out the Isles once.

Pittsburgh didn't practice on Wednesday, and players spoke to the media before Bylsma. To a man, they expressed confidence in both goalies and noted that their own play wasn't good enough—which is true, despite two baffling goals allowed by Fleury.

"We know it was a tough night," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think we've all have tough nights. When we have a tough one, it's not quite as obvious as when a goalie has a tough one. (Fleury) won a Stanley Cup. He's got a ton of experience. He's shown numerous times that he can bounce back, so we're confident in him for sure."

Fleury's chance to bounce back isn't coming on Thursday, though—and it might not matter who's in net if the Penguins don't play better, specifically when it comes to avoiding turnovers in the neutral zone and setting up odd-man rushes.

"We have to be better in front of our goalie," forward Chris Kunitz said. "You want to show that you have pride in your teammates."